When removing gases and/or volatile liquids from solutions, suspensions, emulsions, dispersions and/or solid materials in large scale industrial processes, the formation of troublesome foams of considerable stability frequently occurs. Processes and devices for destroying foams are, therefore, of great industrial importance. To suppress foam formation and/or to destroy foams, it is well known to add chemical antifoaming agents and/or to use mechanical devices designed for this purpose.
Chemical foam-destroying agents have, in principal, a good action but their use contaminates the foaming medium. Generally, such large amounts of antifoaming agents are required that the product contained in the foaming medium undergoes changes in its properties due to the presence of the antifoaming agents which are often undesirable.
The majority of the known mechanical foam-destroying devices are so-called centrifugal force separators. The foam is very rapidly accelerated by a rotating device whereupon the bubbles of the foam burst and the gas is able to escape. The disadvantage of these foam-destroying devices lies in the fact that they have a stress limit above which they do not have a satisfactory action. In addition, with various solutions, suspensions, emulsions, dispersions and/or solid materials that are to be freed from gases and/or volatile liquids, and especially with toxic substances and/or substances that are sensitive to air, the installation of such centrifugal force separators or similar apparatuses in the containers, e.g., autoclaves, requires considerably effort and involves great difficulties and high costs as regards air-tightness, control, cleaning and repair.